About King Mas
Short Biography:
I (King Mas) was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts and have a sister who was born before me and a brother that was born after me. We are all involved in music in some capacity like our father and the majority of our extended family members. 28 years of age as I scribe these thoughts. I don’t deal with any “faith” per se but I practice traditional Afrikan spirituality.
The Interview
Gav Pauze: What Is Your Name & Performance Name?
King MAS: My name is King MAS. Most of my childhood friends and family members refer to me as “Lee” which means “one who dwells in/near the woods”.
Gav Pauze: When did you first start singing?
King MAS: Music was an inborn thing in my case. I do not actually have any memory of not singing. Whether it was riding along in the car with my mother and singing along with whatever cassette was in the deck or having my older cousins teach us the “bogle” dance I was simply planted in musical soil. I first remember performing before I entered grade school at a church function. It was a reggae gospel tune. Although I never much cared for the religion itself, working with a band at that early age and having the people tell them to pull up and have me perform twice was definitely a powerful formative experience.
Family Encouragement
Gav Pauze: Did your family encourage you?
King MAS: In all honesty, most Caribbean parents in the diaspora want to be able to say that their child is a doctor or a lawyer etc. so there was an initial ambivalence to my decision to drop out of college and pursue music. At the same time, I’ve inherited a solid foundation and a great deal of freedom to manifest my own vision and destiny. My mother is my biggest fan and it’s actually pretty embarrassing at times how much she likes to brag as well as promote to her friends.
“Ocean of Emotion” is her favourite song. She opened a childcare centre in our home because she felt guilty leaving us with others while she worked at a local bank, especially as I struggled with health challenges in my early childhood. I was a part of her first group of preschool “graduates” and I entered into the school system with an advanced grasp of mathematics and linguistics. The lyrical prowess I possess can be largely attributed to my mothers sacrifice so I always like to pay homage to her considering that her father, my grandad, was functionally illiterate. Not bad for a country girl from Red Hills (Clarendon, Jamaica).
Click HERE to read the remainder of the Pauze Radio Interview with King Mas!
Download: Walk Like a Champion – EP – King Mas
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